Rebecca Warren, The Territory 2020. Hand-painted bronze on painted MDF pedestal. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery.
Rebecca Warren is an artist much loved by Ocula Advisor Rory Mitchell, and her latest exhibition at Matthew Marks Gallery is sublime. Among nine hand-painted bronze sculptures is this standout two-part work titled The Territory (2020).
Despite having the appearance of MDF and plywood, the lower arrangements have actually been cast in bronze and meticulously painted to replicate the original pieces of wood from her studio. Each part looks absurdly identical to the other, but on closer inspection, there are subtle differences.
This doubling has been a recurring theme throughout much of Warren's career, although the flag-like figures with richly painted symbols contain an otherworldly feel that is refreshingly new within her oeuvre, and in stark contrast to the seemingly everyday studio materials on which they rest.
Rebecca Warren is also represented by Maureen Paley in London and Galerie Max Hetzler in Berlin and Paris.
